Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:23:02 EDT
From: Jetjt@aol.com
Subject: Super Jeff Ch 15
The following is a work of gay fiction. If the subject matter is offensive
to you or you are too young, please exit now. This story is the property of
the author and may not be duplicated without permission. John Tucker,
JETjt@aol.com.
SUPER JEFF
Chapter Fifteen
JEFF'S POV
How do you mix boredom with tension? They seem the antithesis of one
another, yet that is how I spent the first part of the afternoon. I
couldn't keep my mind away from the possibility that our parents were still
alive and couldn't make myself do anything else that would take my mind off
of that chance. I tried watching TV or surfing the net, but I couldn't
dredge up the interest to watch or explore. Instead I paced around the
place always keeping a phone in sight. I wished that I had gone shopping
with Chris and Ben if for no other reason than to keep busy. I tried eating
a snack too, but my stomach was in a knot and didn't appreciate being
reminded that the acid it produced was there for a purpose other than to
give me indigestion.
Nearly an hour passed before the doorbell rang. I rushed to the door to
find my old friend Doug Jacobs standing there as promised. I threw my arms
around him, giving him a hug, before grabbing his hand and pulling him into
the family room where I gave him the complete rundown on what had happened
since we got out of school. His eyes reflected the ups and downs of the
previous weeks, often wide with amazement or showing hurt when things were
bad. I made sure that he knew that I had new hope that Mom and Dad were
still alive, and after telling me that it had gotten late and that he had
promised his parents that he wouldn't be long, I told him I'd see him at
Donnie Smith's visitation. He said again that he wished he could stay, but
was glad I was holding up alright. We said goodbye and promised each other
not to let the summer separate us.
It seems that he had barely left when the phone at last rang. Of course I
was in the bathroom taking a leak. I forced myself to stop, gave my organ a
quick shake and dashed for the phone in my room while I tucked
not-so-little Jeffy away. Snatching the phone from its cradle, I
announced, "Jeff Richards."
"Jeff, this is Agent Johnson. It looks like you almost certainly were
right."
"What did you find out?" I asked, my hopeful anticipation reflected by a
cracking in my voice.
"It appears that it was another couple that died, not your parents. They
were found in the car your parents rented, but were badly burned, making
identification more difficult. Tracing the rental car, the police
discovered that it was rented to your parents, and the partially melted
credit card that was found inside matched the one used for the rental. The
physical size and apparent age of the victims were also close to those of
your parents. The full forensic study was delayed because the coroner
became ill. The distance they were away from home made DNA identification
difficult and it took a while to receive the dental records of your
parents. It was those records that later convinced the investigators that
the victims were someone other than your parents. The records had just
arrived about the time I called them. Based on my phone call, they
immediately dropped whatever they were doing and examined the records,
comparing them to the corpses. It didn't take long to confirm that the dead
couple was not your folks."
"You don't know how relieved I am to hear that," I said, "but where are my
Mom and Dad?"
"I wish I knew Jeff," he said. "The search for them was halted when it
appeared that they had been killed. I'm certain it will start back up
immediately. I'm afraid we're going to have to monitor your phone again."
"I couldn't care less," I declared. "You just have to find them."
"We'll do our best," Johnson promised. "I'll call you daily with an update
on what we discover."
"What can I tell people?" I asked. "I have a whole stack of messages from
friends who have called. I need to call them back."
"I'd just tell them that it appears the victims were not your parents, but
that your parents have been put back on the missing persons' list and are
being searched for. I'm sorry to have to tell you this Jeff, but just
because these victims are not your parents, we're not out of the woods
yet. We have no way of knowing if your Mom and Dad are still alive."
The thought that they still might be dead hit me like a hammer. My euphoria
died with Agent Johnson's words.
"It is my guess that the victims were decoys killed to halt the search for
your folks," he theorized.
"Why would anybody want to do that?" I asked. "I'm sure that whoever has
them couldn't believe that their ruse would work for more than a day or
two."
"Assuming that you parents really were kidnapped, it would have been easier
to move them when the search for them was called off. We don't know, for
instance, if your parents are still in England."
"I guess that makes sense," I agreed. "Let me know as soon as you discover
anything else."
"I'll call daily," Johnson promised. "Thanks for expressing your doubt. It
probably saved a day in discovering the truth. That day could prove to be
vital in bringing you parents back to you. If you have any ideas about why
they were taken just give me a call."
"You're welcome Sir," I replied. "I'll look forward to your calls. Thanks
for following up so quickly. Goodbye."
"Goodbye Jeff."
I quickly switched off the phone, then hit the speed dial for my Dad's
attorney, Ed Macgregor. I relayed the good news and he suggested that we
get together when he delivered Mandy from the airport. I looked at my watch
and realized that the plane would be arriving soon. I guess he did the same
thing since he said that he had to go so that he could be at the airport
before her plane arrived. I told him that I'd be here at home, then said
goodbye.
I heard voices downstairs and thinking that it was probably Chris and Ben I
left my room to meet them. As I descended the stairs I saw them, arms laden
with packages.
"How'd the shopping go?" I asked as I reached the bottom step.
"It was great!" Ben said enthusiastically. "I gots mo' stuff than I ever
had in m'whole damn life."
"That's great," I said smiling. "What you have on is pretty attractive."
"I jus' couldn' go paradin' `round in my ole stuff, knowin' I had this
purty stuff here in a bag," he replied. "Good thing I took a shower this
mornin', I'd shore hate t'git this here stuff all stinked up."
"How do you like his hair?" Chris asked with a wink after he gave me a
quick peck on the cheek.
"It looks really cool," I replied. "Whoever did your hair must have known
just what to do."
"Why don't you go put your clothes away?" I suggested. "I have some good
news I want to share with you. My sister Amanda will be here in a couple of
hours and I'd like to tell you a bit about her also."
"Is the news about your parents?" Chris asked.
"Yes, so hurry."
"Come on Ben," Chris said as he hurried up the stairs, "I wanna make this
fast."
"Comin' Bro," Ben said, charging after him taking two stairs at-a-time.
I watched their two cute asses until they reached the top landing and
disappeared down the hallway. I headed for the kitchen, hoping that Frank
would be there. It was as I wished. Frank was busy chopping vegetables for
our dinner.
"Frank," I said causing him to look up from his work. "I got a call from
Agent Johnson a few minutes ago. I'd like to tell you and the other two
guys about it as soon as they get their shopping stuff put away."
"Sure, I can take a break," Frank assured me. "I'm preparing something
special for dinner in honor of Miss Amanda being home."
"What are we having?" I asked.
"Prime Rib," he answered, "with twice baked potatoes. You know how Miss
Amanda loves that."
"She's not the only one," I responded. "It's my favorite too, though I
never could understand what she sees in the end cut. It's too done for me."
"I agree with that," Frank said nodding his head. "If it's not at least
good and pink, it's overcooked. I even like it bloody."
"That's a bit much for me," I commented. "I'm not sure how Chris and Ben
like it, so I'd suggest that pink would be best. It's still soft and tasty
without the gore."
Frank laughed. When his hearty chuckle died down, I heard the guys coming
back down the stairs.
"Let's go to the family room," I suggested. "The guys are finished I
guess."
Frank quickly rinsed his hands, then taking a hand towel, dried them before
removing his apron.
"I'm ready," he reported.
Leaving the kitchen together we arrived in the Family Room at the same time
as the other two.
"Would anyone like a drink before we start?" Frank asked.
The three of us answered that we'd like cokes. Frank stopped at the bar
refrigerator and pulled out four cans of coke.
"Glasses?" he asked.
"Nah, the cans will be good enough," Chris replied for the three of us.
Frank put the four cans on a tray and brought the tray to the coffee table
in front of the sofa where Chris and Ben were already seated. I took a can
and sat in one of two recliners and Frank did likewise, taking the other.
"Guys, as you know, before you left for shopping I went to the office where
Frank told me there was a box of our parents' personal belongings." I
continued to repeat my reservations about what I'd found and about the call
I made to Agent Johnson. "A few minutes ago, I got a call from Agent
Johnson. He had checked-out my story and had even called England where most
of the evidence was, as well as the bodies. They had just received the
folks' dental records but hadn't compared them yet with the x-ray records
from the bodies. After the Agent told them of my call and my suspicions,
they dropped everything to check the dental records with the dentistry of
the corpses. To make a long story shorter, they found that the dead couple
was not our parents."
"Wow!" Chris exclaimed with excitement. "That's great news. Do they have
any idea where Dr. Mel and Pop are?"
Frank and Ben were all smiles, but listened closely at my answer.
"Not a clue," I relayed. "They're going to re-open the search and continue
the investigation. Agent Johnson said that he would keep us informed, but
couldn't guarantee that they're still alive. He thinks that the two people
in the car might have been decoys, put there and planted with some of the
folks' things so that my parents could be moved without anyone searching
for them. "
"I just know they're alive," Chris said with conviction. "I just don't
understand why anyone would kidnap them."
"I had some time to think about that while you were shopping. It seems that
there are two possibilities. The first is that it's possible that someone
knows they're rich and are holding them for ransom. I'm not sure why anyone
would do that though. I mean they're not that rich, and it seems like a lot
of preplanning and trouble to wait for them to go to England. The other
possibility that comes to mind is that they were kidnapped by extremists."
"You mean like terrorists?" Chris asked.
"Yeah," I answered. "There are all kinds of extremists around the
world. There is no reason to believe that whoever took them are Islamic
though. I mean they could have been taken by the Russian Mafia for all I
know."
"Why would someone take them in pa'tic'lar? Are they famous er somethin'?"
Ben asked.
"Good question, Ben. I've been asking myself that too," I responded. "Our
Mom, Dr. Mel is quite an accomplished linguist and has other talents too,
but I can't imagine that anyone would steal her away because of that. My
Dad is a world famous surgeon and oncologist. That doesn't lead me anywhere
either. Maybe someone famous has cancer?"
"You think that someone needs Dr. Jeff's healing skills so much that it's
worth killing two people as decoys?"
"Not really," I admitted. "Unless that someone is wanted and is in hiding."
"They'd have to be pretty rich and powerful then," Chris commented. "That
should narrow the list down quite a bit. Maybe you should tell Agent
Johnson about your idea."
"He asked me to do that if I thought of anything. I'll call him soon, but I
guess we'd better drop it for this minute. Amanda will be here soon, so I'd
better tell you about her.
"What's to tell?" Chris asked.
"I think I'll excuse myself," Frank interjected. "I think I know most of
what you're going to say and I still have a dinner to finish."
"Sure Frank," I agreed. "If you need some help, just chirp."
"Well maybe you guys can set that table when you get though talking. That
will save me a little time."
"We'll be happy to Frank," Chris offered. "Jeff will have to show me where
everything goes though."
"I'll show both you and Ben. It wouldn't hurt for him to know how to set a
proper table."
"I'll learn if you'll show me," Ben promised.
"OK. Now let's get back to Amanda.
"Fine by me," Chris agreed.
"Amanda is my older sister. She's 20 and goes to one of those Ivy League
colleges in the east for the spoiled rich. In the summer, she does summer
stock and was planning on a trip to Europe with some of her rich-bitch
friends right before school starts. I haven't talked to her since last
Christmas. She and I don't get along. The reason I'm telling you all of
this is so that you're not surprised if she shoots off her mouth. She can
be pretty vile when she wants to be."
"Do you really think she'd do that now? I mean with you're parents missing
and all that?" Chris asked.
"I don't think she knows that they may not be dead yet, though Ed will
probably tell her when he picks her up. As for your question, I can say
that I honestly don't know. She's a woman, and women are a complete mystery
to me. I just think we'll have to wait and see. I just didn't want you to
feel hurt if she gets ugly. She's been mostly away from home for two years
now, and before that we fought like cats and dogs. It used to drive Dad and
Mom crazy. We mostly stayed away from each other when she'd come home for a
holiday."
"It seems strange that she doesn't come home for the summers too,"
commented Chris. "This is a cool place."
"She's an independent bitch," I revealed. "I doubt that she ever lives at
home again. At least I hope not."
"She can't be that bad," said Chris.
"You can judge for yourself," I allowed. "I'm just saying that I'm not
looking forward to seeing her."
"Alright, now you've told us and we have our shields up," Chris
declared. "Let's get the table set for Frank. Afterward you can call Agent
Johnson and Ben and I will put his new clothes away then find something to
do until Amanda gets here."
"I thought you had put them away already!" I remarked.
"Heh, heh," Chris laughed, then winked nervously.
AMANDA'S POV
Damn! This has been a bitch of a summer. It started off OK. I mean, I
found Richard and all that, and the summer stock company was cool. Then
those guys from the Feds came and told me about Mom and Daddy being
missing. From then on my life has turned to shit. First they were missing,
and now they're dead. I mean I'm sad and all, but it sure seems
inconsiderate that I have to put up with it when things were going so
well. First I was supposed to go to Washington, then at the last minute the
trip was cancelled because Pea Brain wouldn't go, I guess. Then I was told
by Ed that Mom and Dad were murdered and I needed to come home. Shit! I
cried of course. Now it just pisses me off. This side trip was not in my
plans! I just hope I don't get stuck there with Jeff though. He hates me
and I'm not too fond of him either. I mean he's a cute guy and all that,
and not bad for a little brother, but who likes little brothers? I'm pretty
sure he hates my guts. I always thought he was a nuisance when we were
younger. Then I almost got to like him when he comes out and tells Mom and
Dad that he's queer. Damn! I knew there was something wrong with him, but I
just wasn't sure what. I was afraid it would fuck-up my reputation, having
a gay brother, but he kept his mouth shut, at least until I went away to
college.
I'm sure glad that Richard could come home with me. I don't think I could
stand all this shit without him with me. He's really a good guy and I like
him more than I'd ever admit. He's good looking, funny and great in bed. It
doesn't hurt that he's way richer than we are either. I mean his whole
family are publishers by trade and well accepted in eastern
society. Comparatively, my family members are just western cowboys. It
wasn't always that way though. I mean, my grandparents were all from old
money and well thought of in eastern society circles. My parents were
mavericks and left the east coast for the west when they were young
adults. My grandparents had the connections back there though, and some of
the better families still remember them. It's amazing what old money can do
for you socially. I loved both sets of my grandparents. They were nice old
folks, and left Jeff and me nice trust funds when they died.
I cried a lot when I heard that my parents were dead. I've kinda gotten
used to the idea, but I'm not looking forward to the funeral and all
that. I hope I don't break down and make a fool of myself. I guess this is
it though. I'm a bit worried, but I think that when the will is read, I'll
be pretty rich. It doesn't matter too much to me, just as long as the
checks keep coming. Ed, my Dad's lawyer, said that it wouldn't be a
problem.
I guess I really loved my parents. They were always way too busy to spend
much time with me, but I guess I can't complain. Lots of my friends come
from divorced families and it's a lot harder for them than me. I mean, I
could talk to my parents if I had to or wanted to. It's just that they were
gone a lot with their jobs and interests. In High School, I often got stuck
taking care of Jeff instead of going out with my friends. Maybe that's why
I always resented him so much. I'm going to be especially nice though. No
point in making a bad situation worse.
Anyway, I see Ed coming. Maybe the damned luggage will arrive soon. I hope
Ed likes Richard. Maybe Jeff will like him too, but if not, fuck him. If
he's a snot, I'll fix his wagon. If he's nice, he's going to be shocked at
how nice I can be.
CHRIS' POV
I was looking out the front window when I saw a large Beemer drive up and
an arm extend out the window to punch in the gate code. The large
wrought-iron gates began their swing and after a moment the car pulled into
the drive and under the covered portico.
"They're here," I shouted.
Jeff and Ben had just joined me in the entry hall when the door opened and
Ed, who I'd, met before stepped in behind the most breathtaking young woman
I'd ever seen. The worried look on her face didn't diminish her
beauty. Jeff stepped forward, taking his sister in his arms in welcome.
"Hi Mandy," Jeff said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "Welcome home."
Seeing them next to each other, you knew at once that they were
siblings. The genes that had produced the gorgeous new arrival had not
weakened when they produced her brother.
"Hi Ed," Jeff continued as he released his grasp of his sister and extended
his hand to their friend, their Dad's lawyer. "Thanks for picking Mandy
up."
"You're welcome Jeff," Ed said with a smile.
I looked at Ed and really saw him for the first time. He was about 6'-2"
tall, in his mid 30's, slim and quite a looker. Together, standing next to
Amanda they gave the appearance of a handsome couple.
"Amanda, Ed," Jeff continued, remembering his manners, "I'd like to
introduce you to these guys. Amanda, this is Chris Taylor, my boyfriend,
and neither of you have met our friend standing next to Chris, Ben
Collins."
I was surprised when Amanda stepped over to me and gave me a hug. I quickly
recovered enough to wrap my arms around her, returning the
affection. Stepping back, she extended her handshake to Ben, with a
"Pleased to meet you Ben."
I looked at Jeff and his mouth was hanging open in shock.
Ed followed and said he was happy to see me again as he shook my hand, then
turned and exchanged pleasantries with Ben as they too exchanged
handshakes. The look on Ben's face was like a deer caught in the glare of
headlights. If there ever was a fish out of water, it was Ben at that
moment.
"Let's go into the family room where we can talk," Jeff offered. Before we
could take a step, Frank appeared.
"Welcome Mr. Macgregor and Miss Amanda," Frank offered without extending
his hand. "I'll get your luggage Miss Amanda and put it in your room."
"What's this Miss Amanda shit?" Amanda said as she smiled and rushed up to
Frank, giving him a hug. "Are you still poisoning my family?"
Frank laughed.
"You know me too well Mandy," he said with a grin. "Now get on with your
business and I'll get some work done. Dinner will be ready in about an hour
and a half. Will you be staying for dinner, Mr. Macgregor?"
"If you'll have me," he answered."
"Please," Mandy said, flashing her eyes and producing a beautiful smile.
"Yes, we'd like that," Jeff added, obviously taken aback with the charm his
sister exuded.
"Would it be better if Ben and I made ourselves scarce for awhile?" I
offered.
After a quick second's thought, Jeff answered. "No, come with us. Mandy
needs to get acquainted with her new brothers."
It was Amanda's mouth that dropped open in shock this time. She quickly
recovered, and smiled with a questioning nod of agreement. It was apparent
that she knew nothing of either Ben's or my existence, but was more than
full of curiosity.
Ed displayed familiarity with the house as he led the way. I tugged Ben's
arm, indicating the he should come with me, leaving Jeff and Amanda
bringing up the rear. They hung back a bit and, in spite of her softened
voice, I heard Amanda whisper to Jeff, "Brother you've got some things to
tell me."
"Later," Jeff whispered back.
As we entered the Family Room, we saw that Frank had set out a tray
arranged with soft drinks, glasses with ice already in them, and snacks.
"I see that Frank is ready for our arrival," Amanda said with a
smile. "While you guys help yourselves and get settled, I'll excuse myself
for a moment. Nature calls."
She turned, heading for the small downstairs guest bath as we did her
bidding. Five minutes later she reentered the room. Jeff and Ed stood as
she entered, so I grabbed Ben's arm and tugging on it, indicated that we
should follow suit.
"My, aren't you being polite," Amanda said, recognizing our gesture.
"I guess it's the first time I really thought of you as an adult woman,"
Jeff said as an excuse.
"That's a great compliment, little brother," Amanda replied, obviously
pleased. "Please take your seats. I'm not used to all this attention."
I couldn't help but wonder when this beautiful creature would turn into the
Amanda that Jeff described earlier.
Amanda took a comfortable arm chair that had been left for her after
pouring herself a drink.
"I was shocked when Ed told me of the latest news of our parents," Amanda
began. "I'm not sure what to think now."
"You're not alone in that Mandy," Jeff admitted. "I talked to Agent Johnson
again a while ago, and the search has been resumed in earnest."
"There are no new developments then?" Amanda asked.
"Nothing definite," responded Jeff. "They're checking out a couple of leads
that have come in. Maybe one of them will turn out to be helpful."
"I hope so," Amanda agreed. "Not knowing is almost worse than bad news."
"I'm with you on that," Jeff concurred.
"I think we should talk about you guys," Ed interjected. "We have to assume
that it will be some time before we know anything for certain. In the
meantime, we need to make sure that you're taken care of. Amanda, have you
given any thought as to when you and Richard will be returning east?"
"Who's Richard?" Jeff interrupted as a curious look crossed his face.
"Richard's my boyfriend," Amanda replied. "His family is in
publishing. He's with me, but went separately from the airport to take care
of some business. He should be here in about an hour."
"You'd better tell Frank," Jeff advised. "I'm sure there will be enough
food, but it would be embarrassing to have one plate short."
Amanda must have agreed. She arose, excused herself, then took off for the
kitchen. The four of us started to stand as she did, but as she turned
toward the kitchen she added, "Oh sit down. Once is enough." She laughed
as she disappeared from sight.
I looked over at Jeff as he turned to Ed.
"Today has certainly been one of surprises," Jeff said shaking his
head. "First Ben came into the family, then all the news about our parents,
and now Amanda has turned into a human being. I can't believe it."
"I'm not sure about Amanda Jeff," Ed warned. "Remember she's an actress. I
recall her too well. I hope she's changed, but I wouldn't count on it
yet. She used to be the model bitch, if you'll excuse my observation about
your sister."
Jeff laughed.
"Yeah, I agree," he said. "I already told these guys about her. I'm sure
they think that I'm nuts."
The conversation got cut short as Amanda returned and took her seat again.
"Tell me about Richard," requested Jeff.
"He's a darling," Amanda replied with a smile. "He's a true eastern
gentleman. You probably know a little about his family, the Forbes. They
are big time in the money game, are noted publishers and have numerous
financial interests. I met him in school and have been dating him for
months. He took me home to meet his family. They've been wonderful to me
and are pretty up there on the social scale."
"I hope he doesn't pick his nose," Jeff kidded. "I think that's gross."
"No booger would dare invade his nostrils," Amanda replied with pretended
affront.
I could tell from the twinkle in her eyes that she both loved her guy, and
enjoyed Jeff's playful taunt, responding with her own comeback.
"When do you have to return east?" Jeff repeated Ed's earlier question.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "Richard and I will have to talk about it
later. He still thinks that the folks are dead. I didn't learn about it
myself until Ed told me in the car."
"I hope you'll stay as long as you can," Jeff replied. "I like the new
Amanda."
"Thanks Jeff," she responded. "I guess Richard brings out the best in me."
"I like him already," Jeff said with a smile.
The next hour was spent, primarily with Jeff and Amanda bringing each other
up to date with their lives. Amanda talked about school, her friends and
her history with Richard, though without too many personal details. Jeff in
turn talked about how he and I met, leaving out some of the more personal
aspects that she didn't need to know. He told her about what we had been
doing and how we'd spent two weeks as counselors at camp where we met
Ben. He then told her that Ben's parents had thrown Ben out when he
returned home, without all the details, and that he'd come to live with us
until things could get sorted out. Jeff then talked about how their parents
had promised to take us on a trip when they came back from Europe and how
he hoped that it would bring them closer together.
"That sure doesn't sound like Dad and Mom," Amanda commented. "They were
always so busy they never seemed to have time for us."
"I'm hoping that Chris' arrival changed that," Jeff theorized. "They seemed
to warm up to him pretty good. Frankly I was surprised."
"Maybe there's some hope for this family yet," Amanda said wishfully. "If
so, Chris will have my eternal thanks."
I blushed, but smiled as my only response. Thinking about what they were
saying, I could tell from the conversation that Jeff and Amanda had the
same viewpoint regarding their parents. I knew that their parents'
activities had kept them apart from Jeff and that he felt hurt and rejected
because of it, but he kept it pretty well buried within himself most of the
time. I now discovered that Amanda felt the same way. Personally, I found
Dr. Mel and Pop rather charming. Maybe Jeff was right in that my coming to
live here had rocked the boat for the better. I hoped so. If they ever
returned, they'd have another rocking coming with Ben's arrival.
Frank stepped into the room and announced, "Amanda, I believe that Richard
is here. I just opened the gates for him. Dinner will be served in 15
minutes."
"Thanks Frank," Amanda said as she arose from her chair. "Come on guys,
it's time for you to meet Richard."
We dutifully stood and followed her to the home's palatial entryway. As we
approached, Frank was answering the doorbell after whipping off his apron.
"Is this the home of Amanda Richards? I'm Richard Forbes," the voice of the
visitor said.
I couldn't see him because Frank was in the way. Frank responded as he
stepped back.
"Please come in Mr. Forbes. You're expected. I'm Frank. Please feel free to
call on me if I can be of service."
"Hi Babe," Amanda said as she rushed into the arms of the newcomer. She
planted a kiss on his lips, and while he looked like he enjoyed it, he
seemed a bit embarrassed as he saw the others of us watching.
Amanda stepped back and turning, took his arm, propelling this handsome
young man toward us.
"You remember Ed Macgregor from the airport," she said beginning the
introductions. "And this is my brother Jeff; also know as S.J. to his
friends. I'll tell you what it stands for later."
They shook hands and exchanged greetings before she turned to Ben and me.
"This is Jeff's boyfriend Chris Taylor who lives here too," she
continued. "And this handsome fellow," she said nodding toward Ben, "is Ben
Collins, Jeff and Chris' friend who is staying with us for awhile."
I blushed when she outed me with her introduction, but tried to appear
unaffected as Ben and I each shook his hand.
"Pleased t'meet ya Sir," Ben said deferentially.
"Please don't call me sir," Richard said with a smile. "That's for my
parents. I'm just Richard, or Rick if you really want to be my friend."
"Please come into the family room Rick," Jeff offered, picking up on what
Rick had said. "Dinner will be ready shortly, so if you'll excuse us for a
moment, Chris and I need to dress for dinner."
"Of course. I hope I'm dressed appropriately," Rick replied, glancing down
at his preppy casual clothing.
"Oh you are," Jeff quickly responded. "It's just that Chris and I are still
in shorts. Our parents never allowed short pants at dinner. We'll be right
back. Ben, do you want to come with us?"
"Yeah, thanks," Ben replied, not wanting to be left alone with the people
he'd only met a short time before.
"Ed," Jeff continued as we began up the stairs. "Would you fix some
before-dinner cocktails for the three of you? We'll hurry and rejoin you
soon."
The two groups went their own way, and the three of us younger guys were
soon in our rooms changing pants as well as shoes and socks. I finished
first and went to Jeff's room where he was just putting his feet into a
pair of black loafers. Ben sat on the bed waiting.
"What do you think of Richard?" Jeff asked of no one in particular.
"I don' know `bout you guys," Ben said, "An' I ain't judgin' ya know, but I
like `im a lot. It jus' seems t'me that maybe he's played on our team,
onced or twice."
I don't know why, but the same thought had popped into my mind.
* * * * *